a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to heating and cooling systems for buildings and other facilities, and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method in which the efficiency of heating and cooling systems for a building or other facility is maximized by drawing and discharging water, or another fluid medium, from an elongate header having a hot-to-cold thermal gradient existing along its length, with the intake and discharge points being located along the gradient to optimize the intake and discharge temperatures of each of the heating/cooling systems.
b. Related Art
Maximizing the efficiency of heating and cooling systems has been a goal since time immemorial, but has recently been given greater impetus by rapidly escalating energy costs.
Most modern heating and cooling systems utilize some form of fluid medium for thermal transfer, typically water. For example, a heat pump (water-to-water or water-to-air) or an air handling unit may take in cool water and discharge it at a slightly higher temperature or vice versa, depending on whether it is in a cooling or heating mode. Various other systems intake/discharge water at different temperatures to support their heating/cooling operations; the intake/output temperature parameters and differentials vary widely depending on the nature of the system and the mode and condition in which it is operating at a particular time, with some systems having either or both of the water input and output at relatively mild temperatures and others operating more towards the extremes of hot/cold.
Such systems are commonly optimized for efficiency on an individualized basis, for example, by heating/cooling the incoming water (or other medium) to reduce thermal load of the operation, and/or similarly by cooling or heating the discharge flow to reduce thermal losses. Nevertheless, a degree of inefficiency is inevitable, in significant part due to the differences between optimal intake temperatures for the systems and the actual temperatures of the sources from which the water is drawn. Ultimately, in most facilities some greater or lesser amount of excess thermal energy is created, which is then discharged to the outside air (e.g., free cooling) or otherwise rejected into the environment and thereby lost/wasted. Given the large number and variety of systems that are commonly found in modern buildings, especially in large facilities or complexes, the total loss due to the cumulative inefficiency of the multiple systems can be very great, even though each system is relatively efficient by itself.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for increasing efficiency and reducing thermal energy loss for multiple heating and cooling systems that operate on combination in buildings, complexes and other facilities. Furthermore, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method that can be utilized with the many different types of heating and cooling systems that may exist throughout a building, complex or other facility. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method that can be employed on an economical basis, both in terms of operation and initial capital expenditure, so as to achieve significant cost savings when taken as a whole.